The storied career of Dak Prescott is over. The only thing left to do now is to ship him off to the NFL and decide where to place his statue outside Davis Wade Stadium.

Prescott set 38 school records and lifted the Bulldogs to No. 1 in the Associated Press poll for the first time.

A new era is about to begin. And while the Bulldogs have obstacles to overcome, they are not the first SEC team tasked with replacing an icon.

Florida, Texas A&M still recovering

Struggles drained the swamp in Florida after Tim Tebow left, and at Texas A&M after Johnny Manziel became the Cleveland Browns’ headache. Even Auburn swapped highs and lows after Cam Newton packed his Heisman and BCS title and began dabbing his way toward the top of the NFL.

The Gators lost five games in 2010 — or two fewer than Tebow lost during his four-year career. The Gators also lost their coach after the 2010 season, when Urban Meyer decided to step away and focus on his health and family.

Will Muschamp lost six games in 2011 and eight in 2013 before being fired in 2014.

The Gators were serviceable under center after Tebow, not quite as dynamic and definitely a tad snake-bitten, as players such as Jeff Driskel saw rises (11-2, Sugar Bowl) and falls (broken leg, lost job to Treon Harris).

Part of the Gators’ quarterback issues were tied to coaching changes, including offensive coordinators and quarterback coaches.

Texas A&M’s post-Manziel struggles at the position were different, at least in terms of the coaches’ role.

Manziel won a Heisman in 2012 and put up even bigger numbers in 2013 under first-year Aggies quarterback coach Jake Spavital.

Spavital hung around College Station through the 2015 season, but, despite a wealth of talent at quarterback, saw a mass exodus at the position at the end of the year.

Perhaps a clean start is what was needed anyway for Texas A&M.

Kenny Hill, Kyler Murry and Kyle Allen all flashed brilliance, but none took the reins the way Johnny Football did. And inconsistent quarterback play is one reason the Aggies finished 8-5 each of the past two seasons.

Auburn has had as many highlights as struggles since Newton led them to a 14-0 record and national title in 2010.

The Tigers fell to 8-5 and 3-9 the next two seasons before firing their head coach and plugging in another JUCO standout.

Nick Marshall led the Tigers to a 12-2 record in 2013 and spot in the BCS Championship Game, but the Tigers slumped to 8-5 his senior season and 7-6 last season after he left.

Auburn provides reason for hope in Starkville

But it’s not all doom and gloom for Mississippi State. Auburn proved you don’t need to wait long to reload at quarterback after Cam Newton led the Tigers to the 2010 BCS Title.

Sure Barrett Trotter and Kiehl Frazier held down the fort in a mediocre fashion for two unspectacular seasons, but the hype around program was still warm enough to land Nick Marshall.

Marshall excelled for two seasons, helping guide the Tigers to the 2013 BCS Championship Game. Auburn stalled under center this year and 2016 is very much a make-or-break season for rising senior and much maligned Jeremy Johnson.

Mississippi State can break the post-superstar hex, however, and can do so with the talent they have in house.

Dan Mullen’s program is flush with talent at quarterback, even though he hasn’t named a starter.

Nick Fitzgerald, who spelled Prescott in eight games in 2015, appears to have the edge in an open race. He’ll be pushed by Damian Williams, who started in lieu of Prescott against Ole Miss as a freshman in 2013, and appeared in 20 games before sitting out the 2015 campaign with a redshirt.

Freshman Nick Tiano also took first-team reps during the Bulldogs’ practices leading up to their Belk Bowl win over NC State. Elijah Staley, who recently quit basketball to focus on football, could also fill a bit of the void left by Prescott’s departure.

QB coach Brian Johnson has track record

Bulldogs quarterback coach Brian Johnson will help develop the next wave just as he helped take Prescott from a three-star recruit to NFL prospect.

Johnson helped Prescott hone his accuracy during his senior year. Rather than rely solely on his legs, Prescott and Johnson honed-in on the senior’s pocket presence, taking care of the ball and making quality throws from different angles.

As a result, Prescott is drawing rave reviews heading into the NFL Scouting Combine.

Now it’s time to focus on crafting the next great Bulldog in Stark Vegas.

It won’t be easy. And road bumps are all-but-certain. But Mississippi State is in position to break the hex that has dogged others who have also lost a legendary athlete under center.